Appalling behaviour at temple

I have been living in Hong Kong for 28 months and I have finally seen something that appalled me.

My husband and I moved here because of the death of his father.

He is interred at the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Sha Tin.

Every major holiday, birthdays, etc, we go to pay our respects. We always arrive at approximately 7.55am, for the 8am opening.

On Thursday, April 4, which was Ching Ming Festival, we were the first in line and were informed the opening hour had been put back to 8.30. That was fine, we sat back and waited.

At 8.04, two cars joined the line. The driver of the first car, got out and yelled something to one of the gatekeepers.

The two cars were then allowed in.

My husband approached the gate and asked if we were also to be allowed in. The answer was no, the others were 'friends'. The gatekeeper walked towards my husband and made belligerent remarks.

Whether this man was a paid employee or a volunteer is irrelevant; his attitude was unacceptable. Any house of worship or burial ground is sacred, not a place to display disrespect. If this attitude is allowed to exist, there is more to fear than the Chinese takeover in 1997.

SUSAN WANDERS MAK Yuen Long